RB Leipzig 2-3 Juventus: Ten-man Bianconeri claim improbable comeback win

Ten-man Juventus twice came from behind to stun RB Leipzig 3-2 on Wednesday as Francisco Conceicao’s 82nd-minute strike continued the Serie A giants’ winning start to their Champions League campaign.

Juve were reduced to 10 just before the hour mark when goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio was sent off for a handball outside the box, having already lost captain Bremer and Nicolas Gonzalez to injury.

Benjamin Sesko, whose opener was cancelled out by Dusan Vlahovic prior to the red card, quickly restored Leipzig’s lead from the penalty spot with his third European goal of the season.

But Vlahovic came to Juve’s rescue again three minutes later, curling a left-footed effort into the top corner to level the game at 2-2.

And the unlikely turnaround was complete as Conceicao’s fine finish gave the Bianconeri all three points in Germany.

WE NEVER BACKED DOWN #RBLJuve [2-3] #UCL pic.twitter.com/Ehv7dokgF8

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 2, 2024

While Juve have six points from six, wasteful Leipzig are still waiting to get off the mark, having been similarly frustrated late on against Atletico Madrid on matchday one.

Data Debrief: Joy for Juve’s 10 men

It is not a record they will be proud of, but Juventus have had more goalkeepers sent off in the Champions League than any other club, with Di Gregorio the fourth.

But finally the Bianconeri managed to overcome that setback to earn a positive result. Previous examples had seen Angelo Peruzzi dismissed in a draw with Galatasaray and Edwin van der Sar sent off in a defeat to Panathinaikos, while Gianluigi Buffon’s red card against Real Madrid came moments before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a decisive penalty in a two-legged quarter-final, despite Juve winning 3-1 on the night.

Buffon’s moment of madness came in April 2018, and this was Juve’s first Champions League win with 10 men since September of the same year against Valencia.